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“Maybe just for a minute,” I told Luce, fighting a grin. “I could use a break.”
Lucian glanced across the room to where Bellamy was waiting at the bar. A silent message passed between them, and moments later, Bel abandoned his spot in line and made his way over to the grand staircase. Luce took my hand and led me up the stairs to follow, the clamor of the main gallery falling away with each step.
Through a corridor lined with metal sculptures, we found ourselves in a quiet wing of the gallery. It was clearly not open to the public tonight. The lighting was dim compared to the bright space filled with Alaric’s art. As my eyes adjusted, I realized that this was a very different kind of exhibit.
“It’s called ‘The Art of Desire’,” Bellamy said, stepping out of the shadows to meet Lucian and me. “It doesn’t open till next week.”
“So we’d better not be too loud,” Lucian added in a low voice that made me shiver.
These boys could have been featured in a collection like this. Paintings that pulsed with heat, sculptures of entwined bodies, photographs that captured moments of ecstasy. Every piece we admired was more provocative than the last. None of it was pornographic or lewd, but I felt like a voyeur all the same, and my earlier anxiety melted into a low simmer.
Although that could have had something to do with the two sinfully gorgeous men watching me with hunger in their eyes. Suddenly I couldn’t see the art at all. My nerves prickled with awareness, and all I could focus on was the pressure of Bel’s hand. Lucian’s heat against my back as he moved closer. Desire that wasn’t mine alone rippled through me like a current.
Bel let out a low sound and turned to face me. “Tell us.” The words were laced with thinly veiled desperation. “I know you can feel it. Tell us what you want.” His amber eyes were dark, pupils wide. I rose onto my toes and pressed my lips to his.
He responded immediately, one hand cupping the back of my neck while the other moved to my hip. His mouth was warm and eager against mine, lips parting in invitation. My hands fisted in the lapels of his suitcoat with a surge of possessiveness.
“I want you,” I admitted when we parted for air, panting heavily. Then I sought out Lucian, and his silver eyes made my heart race. I wanted him too, but it had to be his decision.
Fear flashed through those eyes, a war raging behind them, before he captured my lips in a kiss so fierce it stole what little breath I had left. He pulled away too quickly, his gaze flicking to Bellamy, who nodded. Luce dipped again, dragging his nose along the column of my neck. I tilted my head and gasped softly when I felt the slightest graze of his fangs. He went stiff, tension buzzing through his body like he’d grabbed a live wire.
“It’s okay,” I breathed, reaching back to scrape my fingers over his skull. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. We can stop.”
Bel caught my gaze, and disappointment fluttered along our heartstring. I chased it with a promise for later, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
“No.” Lucian’s voice was a strained whisper. “Don’t stop. Can I just…Can I hold you?”
My heart melted with admiration that he was willing to try even that much. “Yes. Always.”
“You’re good, man,” Bel promised, and it seemed to be enough.
Luce moved behind me again, hands at my hips, while Bellamy moved in front. Bel’s hands slid down my arms then back up, tracing patterns on my skin that made me shiver despite the heat building inside of me. Luce’s fingers tightened, his breaths short and shallow, his heart pounding against my back.
Bel held my gaze like he was waiting for something. Permission? No, direction. The flame grew and, keeping one hand on Lucian, I burrowed the other into Bel’s hair. I tugged lightly at the soft strands before pressing him down. His gold eyes flared wide with enthusiasm, and he lowered himself to his knees.
He looked so good on his knees. “Good boy,” I whispered with a smirk.
“Fuck,” he groaned, dragging the word out. He dropped his forehead to my knee while his hand slid up the back of my exposed leg. Lucian’s chest rumbled with a growl, fingers twitching in a bruising grip as he pulled me more firmly against him. His hard length pressed against the small of my back, and knowing that he was just as turned on sent a fresh surge of heat through my core.
Bellamy continued his slow ascent up my leg and then stopped. “Blue, are you—” He parted the slit in my dress further, and a pained noise escaped him. “You’ve been walking around bare all night.”
I managed a shaky laugh. “I don’t really have anything appropriate for a dress like this.”
With another groan, he hooked my naked leg over his shoulder, opening me up to him, and leaned forward to place an open-mouthed kiss high on my inner thigh. I gasped, hands flying to Lucian’s arms around my waist for support.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured against my ear as Bel inched closer to where I was throbbing with need.
The first swipe of Bellamy’s tongue made my knees weak, but Luce held me steady just like he promised. Bel hummed against me, the vibration sending jolts of pleasure up my spine. He gripped my thighs while he feasted like I was his last meal. Ever so slowly, one of Lucian’s hands moved to cup my breast over the fabric of my dress. The touch was far from provocative, but my nipples hardened into diamond points anyway.
Through the haze of pleasure, movement in the shadows caught my eye. I blinked, tensing, until I saw him. Quinn, his scowl half-hidden in darkness, with his gleaming eyes fixed on me. He didn’t move or announce his presence. He just watched as his twin brought me closer and closer to the edge.
“Good. Let him see what he’s denying himself.”
I guess my magic had a vindictive streak.
Our eyes locked across the dim space, but he didn’t budge from his spot. In fact, he reached down to adjust himself before crossing his arms over his chest like he was issuing a dare. Fine, challenge accepted. I arched further into Lucian’s hold, biting off a cry as Bel demanded my attention back.
“That’s it, little fury,” Lucian growled as Bellamy’s tongue circled and sucked. “Show us how good it feels.”